About CVCLT

The Central Vermont Community Land Trust is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit corporation, formed in 1987, under the laws of the State of Vermont. It is an affordable housing organization on the community land trust model (please visit the Institute for Community Economics for more information on the community land trust model).

What We Do

We operate three primary programs to achieve this mission.

1. CVCLT has an active affordable housing development program to create rental housing, single-family homes, and ownership within mobile home parks.
2. CVCLT operates a NeighborWorks® Homeownership Center to increase the rate of homeownership in Central Vermont through the delivery of comprehensive services to homebuyers. The HomeOwnership Center also manages a Property Rehabilitation loan fund.
3. CVCLT provides property management services for CVCLT-owned rental housing and mobile home parks, as well as for a small number of units developed by other entities.

In addition to affordable housing, CVCLT has a growing commitment to community and economic development.

We have assisted Studio Place Arts to transform a vacant block in downtown Barre into a community center for the visual arts that includes studio space, teaching space, and a non-profit gallery. We have worked with the Good Samaritan Haven in Barre to develop housing for homeless families, worked with Washington County Mental Health Services to renovate two Montpelier buildings into homes for homeless people, and worked to renovate an office and visitation facility in Barre for the Sexual Assault Crisis Team of Washington County. The NeighborWorks® HomeOwnership Center also administers grant and loan programs for income eligible recipients.

Our Community

One of CVCLT's strengths is that the organization has maintained strong community involvement and support. CVCLT is a membership organization with approximately 400 members. Every CVCLT tenant and homeowner automatically becomes a CVCLT member; the membership elects representatives to the Board of Trustees.

CVCLT is governed by a 15-person Board of Trustees, all of whom live in our service area. CVCLT's bylaws require one-third of its Board members to be representative of and elected by the organization's "resident members" (i.e., tenants and homeowners residing in units located upon CVCLT land). One-third of the Board members are "general representatives," representative of - and elected by - the membership at-large. Finally, one-third of the Board members are "public representatives," nominated by the Board's other members and elected by the CVCLT's entire membership. This structure ensures that the Board is reflective of - and accountable to - both the residents of CVCLT's housing and the residents of its service area.